James Beard Award winner James Villas, the author of Pig: King of the Southern Table and the food and wine editor of Town & Country for 27 years, penned this 1982 classic to, as he says, "portray the multifaceted, ever-evolving hedonistic lifestyle of one hungry American for whom all wanderings are measured in terms of the next meal." This is not a cookbook, although recipes are included when they serve to illustrate or reinforce a particular topic. Rather, it reflects Villas's approach to gustatory adventure, and a suggested strategy for those who wish to develop and improve their own taste in all things pertaining to food and drink. From his homage to asparagus to his treatise on French fries, Villas regales us with tales of American gastronomy from the perspective of a respectful gourmand and hired palate.